Childhood Hunger in America – The Bread in School Lunch

America the Beautiful… and the Hungry

By: Michele Wu

Americans love their food. From oversized burgers to milkshakes that could double as deserts, food in the United States is often depicted as a symbol of abundance. When Boris Yeltsin, a former Soviet and Russian politician, made an impromptu stop at an American grocery store in 1989, the variety of what was available left him in shock. “Even the Politburo doesn’t have this choice. Not even Mr. Gorbachev,” he remarked. Yeltsin’s astonishment highlighted the vast bounty that America enjoys; it is, after all, called the land of plenty.

Unknown. (1989). Boris Yeltsin in an American Grocery Store (Photograph). Clear Lake, Texas

Yet, amidst all this abundance, hunger remains a harsh reality for millions of Americans, especially school aged children. In a country of such agricultural and economic prosperity, nearly 47 million Americans, 1 in 7 people struggle with food insecurity. The rate of food insecurity among children is even higher, with 1 in 5 being affected by hunger (Feeding America, 2023).

Food insecurity is the condition of not having access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality to meet one’s basic needs. There are many factors that can contribute to food insecurity which are not limited to but include poverty, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, chronic health conditions, and systemic discrimination. Women often bear the brunt of the burden of food insecurity. Women are 35% more likely to experience poverty than men, a root cause of food insecurity; single-mother households are more likely to experience food insecurity than households headed by single men or married couples (Beaulieu, 2014). 1 in 4 households with children headed by single mothers experienced food insecurity in 2021, compared to 1 in 10 married-couple households with children (Sidelined and Struggling, 2024). This leaves children with single mothers particularly vulnerable for the effects of food insecurity.

Taken from Figure One: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (2024), Household Food Insecurity Increased Again in 2023

While food insecurity affects adults, it is especially damaging to children, who are still developing. The effects of food insecurity can manifest in many different ways. Hyperactivity, aggression, anxiety, depression, and learning disabilities have all been linked to food insecurity (PAI and Bahadu). In the long term, children who experience food insecurity are five times more likely to experience obesity than children from food secure households (Kral & Chittams, 2017). This paradox arises because children from low-income households often consume foods that are cheaper but less nutritious, leading to poor diets and exposure to long term health issues.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity in America. In 2020, rates of food insecurity spiked, especially among households with children. Before the pandemic, food insecurity rates had been on a general decline for nearly a decade. However the pandemic reversed this trend with food insecurity rates for households with children climbing to 14.8% from 13.6% in 2019 (Hales & Coleman-Jensen, 2022). This was the first increase in child hunger since 2011.

Taken from Figure One: Institute for Policy Research (2020), Food Insecurity Triples for Families with Children During Covid-19 Pandemic

In response to the increased economic hardships coaxed by the pandemic, federal programs such as stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits, and food assistance programs (e.g., universal free school meals) were implemented. However with the ending of the pandemic, many of these programs ended or were rolled back. Whatever temporary relief provided by these measures disappeared leaving millions of Americans at risk of slipping back into poverty and food insecurity. At the same time, the pandemic’s economical fallout had driven up the cost of housing and the cost of food, putting more people at risk for food insecurity.

One of the biggest programs of the pandemic era, universal free school meals, expired in June of 2022 after the federal funding for the program expired. Typically, children receive federally subsidized meals throughout the Nation School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program if their household income is no more than 130% of the Federal poverty line and reduced-price lunch up to 185% of the Federal poverty line. All other students have to pay for meals. With the expiration of these federal programs, many school-aged children have been left without access to free or reduced-price meals, leaving many to fall between the cracks, hungry.

References

Beaulieu, S. (2014, July). Current and Prospective Scope of Hunger and Food Security in America: A Review of Current Research. rti.org. https://www.rti.org/sites/default/files/resources/full_hunger_report_final_07-24-14.pdf

Hales, L., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2022, February 7). Food insecurity for households with children rose in 2020, disrupting decade-long decline. USDA ERS – Child Food Insecurity. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2022/february/food-insecurity-for-households-with-children-rose-in-2020-disrupting-decade-long-decline/

Kenny, E. (n.d.). Impact of the healthy, hunger-free kids act on obesity trends | Health Affairs Journal. HealthAffairs. https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00133

Kral, T. V. E., Chittams, J., & Moore, R. H. (2017). Relationship between food insecurity, child weight status, and parent-reported child eating and snacking behaviors. Journal for specialists in pediatric nursing : JSPN, 22(2), 10.1111/jspn.12177. https://doi.org/10.1111/jspn.12177

Rodgers, A., & Mumphrey, C. (2023, August 15). “it’s hard to focus”: Schools say American kids are hungry. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/free-school-lunch-child-hunger-7d38b5a84e533129f507d76cc05c622f

Sidelined and struggling: The harsh reality of food insecurity for Single Moms. Move For Hunger. (2024). https://moveforhunger.org/blog/sidelined-and-struggling-harsh-reality-food-insecurity-single-moms